This invention pertains to guyed structures, in general, and to a yoke for use in guyed structures such as electrical transmission structures, in particular.
In certain guyed electrical transmission structures, a device called a "yoke" is utilized to terminate two structure guys and transfer their respective loads to a single anchor guy. The two structure guy attachment points are spaced apart a predetermined horizontal distance and the anchor guy is located halfway between them thereby allowing a certain amount of structure rotation due to, for example, differential tension in the conductors and static wires.
Under certain conditions, for example, heavy icing on one side of the structure, or frost heaving, an unbalanced condition may occur where the forces exerted on one or more set of structure guys and their anchor guy may produce sufficient tension to exceed the rated capacity of the guys. Under such conditions, guy failures may occur.
Certain prior yokes are designed to limit the amount of tension load on the guys by changing configuration at a predetermined load in a manner which will introduce additional length in the guy system. By introducing additional length in the guy system the overall loads are reduced. This adding of length to the guy system results in additional deflection of the structure but thereby avoids the collapse of the structure which might otherwise occur if the guy system were to fail.
In such prior yokes, the lengthening of the guy system is obtained by deformation, i.e., bending or buckling, of a yoke member. However, the operation of such devices is subject to considerable operational variation in the initial loading at which the yoke deforms, the final yoke configuration, and the final yoke capacity in its buckled shape.